Supernode Ventures Research
Investment Thesis
Supernode Ventures is a generalist early-stage venture capital fund focused on investing in sector-agnostic technology companies that are transforming multiple industries. Founded in 2017 by Laurel Touby, a former business journalist and successful tech founder, Supernode believes in backing exceptional founders building transformative technology companies at the pre-seed and seed stages. The fund leverages Laurel's deep network in tech, media, and entrepreneurship, combined with Jenny Friedman's operational expertise and investment experience, to identify and support companies across diverse sectors.
Investment Thesis Details
Supernode's investment thesis centers on backing early-stage technology companies that demonstrate:
- Strong founder characteristics and proven technical execution
- Innovative approaches to solving significant market problems
- Potential for broad market adoption and scale
- Teams with relevant domain expertise and shipping capabilities
The fund explicitly states: "At Supernode Ventures, we invest in the technologies that are transforming our lives, now and into the future." This reflects their belief in backing transformative tech across sectors including FinTech, Healthcare, Enterprise Software, e-Commerce, Supply Chain, AI/ML applications, and emerging technologies.
Sector Focus
Supernode's Fund I portfolio demonstrates remarkable sector diversity, reflecting their sector-agnostic approach:
Enterprise & Infrastructure:
- Electric AI (Series D+ - IT support solution with AI)
- Wallaroo Labs (Series A - AI model deployment and management)
- Covalto/Credijusto (Series B - credit and fintech for SMBs)
- Ontop (Series A - payroll and hiring for LATAM)
- IdeaFlow (Seed - enterprise knowledge graph and search)
Healthcare & Biotech:
- DeepScribe (Series A - AI medical scribe)
- Levels Health (Series A - metabolic health biowearables)
- Click Therapeutics (Series B - digital therapeutics)
- Gradient Health (Series A - medical data for AI research)
- Endometrics (Seed - non-invasive endometriosis diagnosis)
- Remepy (Seed - digital drug combinations)
- Healthlane (Series A - affordable healthcare access in Africa)
- Nirvana Health (Seed - mental health practice operations)
Financial Services & Consumer:
- Braze/Appboy (IPO - mobile marketing automation)
- Arrow/Walnut (Series A - patient financing for healthcare)
- Allocate (Series A - VC fund investment platform)
- Parallel Markets (Series A - accredited investor identity)
- MoneyMade (Seed - alternative investment discovery)
- Givz (Seed - discounts for donations)
Supply Chain, Logistics & Mobility:
- Passport Shipping (Series B - international shipping optimization)
- Habi (Series C - real estate technology in Latin America)
- Aspireship (Seed - industry-specific recruitment platform)
- Rising Team (Series A - manager coaching and team engagement)
- SparkPlug (Series A - workforce engagement for sales)
- Pando (Seed - employee equity and career progression)
Food, Consumer & Emerging Tech:
- Kingdom Supercultures (Series A - novel microbial cultures)
- Verb Energy (Series A - caffeinated energy/protein bars)
- by Humankind (Seed - sustainable personal care)
- Borgo Group (Seed - DTC celebrity jewelry brands)
- Subject/Emile Learning (Series A - high school learning platform)
- True Footage (Series B - real estate data authentication)
- Shabodi (Series A - 5G application development)
Content & Communication:
- Rev/LeadCrunch (Series B - sales development platform)
- Feedback Loop (Series A - product feedback and experiments)
- ChannelApe (Series A - DTC order management)
- NotiSphere (Seed II - medical recall coordination)
Stage Focus
Supernode primarily invests at the pre-seed and seed stages, with capacity for occasional Series A participation and follow-on investments. Their portfolio analysis shows:
- Pre-Seed: Strong presence ($250K-$750K range typically)
- Seed: Core focus ($500K-$3M typical investment size)
- Series A: Selective participation in strong portfolio companies
- Follow-on Reserves: Significant allocation for participating in subsequent rounds
The fund shows strong follow-on investment discipline, with many portfolio companies moving through Series A, Series B, and beyond with continued Supernode support.
Check Size
Based on portfolio analysis:
- Typical Range: $250,000 - $3,000,000
- Pre-Seed: $250K-$750K
- Seed: $500K-$3M
- Follow-on: Case-by-case, often 25-50% of initial check
Lead Tendency
Supernode demonstrates a mixed lead/follow approach:
- Leads: Frequently leads seed rounds, particularly in early company formation
- Co-leads: Participates in co-led rounds with other institutional investors
- Follows: Also participates in strong rounds alongside other lead investors
- Follow-ons: Strong follow-on investor in portfolio companies through Series A and beyond
The fund positions itself as a participant in curated rounds rather than a strict lead-or-follow VC. Their broad network and sector diversity suggests they have conviction on both lead and follow positions.
Recent Activity
Fund Status: Actively deploying. Latest confirmed investments include:
- May 2024: Remepy (Seed - digital drug combinations for hybrid therapies)
- June 2024: Rising Team (Series A - manager coaching platform)
Notable Recent Exits:
- Braze/Appboy (IPO 2021) - Mobile Marketing Automation
- Move37 (Exited 2023) - AI sense-making platform
- Bbot (Acquired 2020, $100M+ exit) - Point-of-sale system
- Multiple M&A exits including Choosy (acquired), Fourpost (closed), and others
Last Known Activity: June 2024 (Rising Team Series A)
Fund Deployment Status: Fund I appears to be in later deployment stages with focus on existing portfolio follow-ons. No clear announcement of Fund II yet, though the team continues active investing and supporting portfolio companies.
Team
Laurel Touby, Managing Director
- Former business journalist covering technology and media
- Founder of Mediabistro (1996) - revolutionized online networking for media professionals
- Exited tech CEO and angel investor with 25+ years in tech
- Deep network in media, technology, and entrepreneurship
- Active in founder community through Tech Media Dinner & Discussion events
- Based in San Francisco (formerly NYC)
Jenny Friedman, Managing Partner
- Prior experience at Eniac Ventures (pre-seed focused fund)
- Co-founder of Four Acres Capital (2024, separate fund)
- Known in VC community for high-energy, operator-focused approach
- Background in early-stage investing and founder support
- Strong track record of identifying founder talent
Geographic Focus
Primarily United States with emphasis on:
- SF Bay Area (headquarters location)
- New York (extensive network through Laurel's media background)
- National (sector-agnostic, investment agnostic on geography but US-focused)
Some international investments visible in portfolio (Latin America through Covalto, Habi, Ontop; Africa through Healthlane; Israel through supported companies), but core focus is US early-stage tech.
Investment Model Preferences
Supernode's portfolio demonstrates preference for:
Business Models:
- B2B SaaS and Software
- Marketplace/Platform models
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands
- Healthcare/Biotech innovation
- Enterprise infrastructure
- Fintech and financial services
Technology/Sector Tags:
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Electric AI, Wallaroo, DeepScribe, Rev, etc.)
- Healthcare Technology (DeepScribe, Levels, Click Therapeutics, Endometrics)
- Enterprise Software (Electric AI, IdeaFlow, Nirvana Health)
- Fintech (Covalto, Arrow, Parallel Markets)
- Developer Tools & Infrastructure (Electric AI, Wallaroo)
- Real Estate and PropTech (Passport, Habi, True Footage)
- E-Commerce & Marketplaces (ChannelApe, Borgo)
- Biotech/Life Sciences (Kingdom Supercultures, Endometrics, Remepy)
Decision Process
Based on fund structure and team composition:
- Partnership-based decision making with Laurel and Jenny as core decision makers
- Appears to value founder-founder relationships and operator expertise
- Strong diligence on team and founder backgrounds
- Network-driven deal flow through Laurel's extensive tech/media connections
Founder Preferences
Supernode backs founders who demonstrate:
- Proven execution: Preference for founders with shipping track records
- Technical depth: Strong preference for technical co-founders
- Domain expertise: Deep understanding of their problem space
- Network integration: Ability to leverage existing networks
- Resilience: Characteristics of founders who can navigate early-stage challenges
- Founder diversity: Portfolio shows support for diverse founder backgrounds
Notable Portfolio Characteristics
Best-in-class outcomes:
- Braze (IPO 2021) - mobile marketing automation global leader
- Bbot ($100M+ acquisition) - point-of-sale system
- Habi (Series C and growing) - Latin American real estate
- Electric AI (Series D+) - IT support solution
- Covalto/Credijusto (Series B) - emerging market fintech
Portfolio size: 50+ companies in Fund I portfolio across 7+ years of investing
Repeat founder support: Multiple founders in portfolio from Laurel's Flatiron Investors personal angel portfolio (Braze, Electric AI, Feedback Loop, others)
Fund Characteristics
Fund Size: Fund I estimated at $50-75M based on portfolio scale and deployment pattern
Portfolio Stage Distribution:
- Early majority in Pre-Seed/Seed (60%+)
- Meaningful Series A and B participation (25-30%)
- Some Series C and later (5-10%)
Tempo: 5-10 investments per year historically
Capital Strategy:
- Strong follow-on reserves (estimated 40-50% of fund)
- Active in supporting portfolio companies through multiple rounds
- Brings operational value, network, and founder expertise beyond capital
Anti-thesis
Based on portfolio gaps, Supernode appears to avoid:
- Late-stage growth investing (Series C+)
- Pure hardware-first companies (though support some hardware-enabled software)
- Deep biotech R&D plays with 10+ year timelines
- Single-geography focused plays without expansion potential
Strategic Positioning
Supernode positions itself as a founder-friendly, operator-focused pre-seed/seed fund led by a successful founder (Laurel Touby) who understands both the operational and human dimensions of building companies. The fund leverages:
- Laurel's 25+ years in tech and media
- Deep founder networks in SF and NYC tech ecosystems
- Operational expertise from both partners
- Platform approach to founder support
- Sector-agnostic thesis allowing flexibility and depth
Recent Evolution
The fund has evolved over 7+ years from pure pre-seed focused fund to more active supporter of portfolio company growth through Series A and beyond. Jenny Friedman's transition to founding Four Acres Capital (2024) represents a natural evolution where she's now running a separate fund focused on even earlier stage (pre-seed/seed) investment, while Laurel continues Supernode's broader thesis.
Investment Philosophy
Supernode's core philosophy centers on:
- Founder quality - Backing exceptional people solving big problems
- Early-stage conviction - Believing in founders before the market does
- Operational support - Adding value beyond capital through network and advice
- Long-term partnership - Following great founders through multiple rounds
- Sector flexibility - Remaining open to transformative tech across all domains